After being absent from the MCU since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, fans got their first look at Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha as she returns in the upcoming threequel.
Debicki's mysterious Marvel character is set to make herself known again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (GOTG 3), after having created the powerful Adam Warlock at the tail-end of James Gunn's last intergalactic epic at Marvel Studios.
For those who don't remember, Ayesha is the high priestess of the Sovereign, who vowed her revenge against the Guardians after they turned their back on her during a mission she hired them to complete.
But now, she will seemingly exact her revenge, unleashing the Sovereign's greatest weapon upon the titular batch of spare-faring "jackasses."
A First Look at Elizabeth Debicki's MCU Return
The latest trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (via @Cryptic4KQual on Twitter) revealed a first look at Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha in her MCU return.
Debicki's high priestess can be seen sporting her signature golden skin and locks.
Empire released another image of Ayesha from Vol. 3, where she is seen seated in the Sovereign homeworld with Will Poulter's Adam Warlock:
Ayesha plays an integral part in Adam Warlock's role in the movie, who is being portrayed "in his infancy" according to Poulter:
“James [Gunn] and I discussed the idea of playing him, at least in this initial phase, in his infancy... As a young person entering the world, trying to develop his moral compass. There was a lot of comedy in that, but also some genuine pathos, some dramatic meat on the bone.”
Ayesha is only in the trailer briefly, but gets a line off in her brief time on-screen, saying, "these Guardians are more powerful than you think."
It is unclear who Debicki's interstellar antagonist is talking to in this scene, but it is likely either Adam Warlock or Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary.
Seeing as the actress appears to be in the golden chamber fans last saw her in Vol. 2, it seems likely that she is having a heart-to-heart with Poulter's Mr. Warlock, but Iwuji's GOTG 3 villain could very well be there also.
Elizabeth Debicki's Marvel Villain Connection
While upon announcement, many believed Adam Warlock would serve as the main antagonist for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, it was later revealed that instead, Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary would be the primary big bad.
So many may be wondering - how do the Sovereign, Warlock, and Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha play into the threequel's story?
Well, they are all likely connected. Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary have a comic connection that could be explored in the upcoming blockbuster.
In the comics, the High Evolutionary is actually the one who dubs Will Poulter's character, Adam, so perhaps Ayesha and the Sovereign's golden boy could at some point come under the employ of the High Evolutionary.
The Counter-Earth Conundrum
Another comic origin that connects the two comes in the form of Counter-Earth. The Earth-like planetoid has been revealed to be a part of the Guardians 3 story, giving Iwuji's Marvel villain a place to go about his horrible and cruel experiments.
On the page, the High Evolutionary uses the Soul Stone to help craft Counter-Earth, with the Marvel villain eventually granting the stone to Adam Warlock after the planet is taken over by an experiment gone wrong in Man-Beast. From there the High Evolutionary tasks Adam to reclaim the planet.
The MCU will probably tug on this narrative thread, with the High Evolutionary coming to Elizabeth Debicki's Marvel villain for help to reclaim his world, and Ayesha only agreeing if he can also take out the Guardians while doing it.
This would make sense as to why the team ends up on Counter-Earth, and why Debicki's character can be seen giving a warning about the team in the recently released teaser.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes to theaters on Friday, May 5.
